The strong kind. He set a hand back on Brian’s thigh. The right kind.
“Will you need a secretary?” Lori asked. “I could do that. Maybe more.”
“When the baby’s bigger, sure.” Maybe she’d find something else to do before then. Although Lori’s talents might actually come in handy— if he could ever trust her.
Damon said, “I owe Charles a debt. Let me know if you need financing.”
“We can manage without your help.” Nick hoped that was true. At least, Charlie didn’t contradict him, and the money from the trailer sale could go to an office instead of a better house. He was getting fond of their little dump anyway.
“How far away are you?” Charlie asked. “The baby’s asleep, so I can do some preliminary research.”
Nick hugged himself, hearing the enthusiasm Charlie couldn’t hide. “You do that. Figure out where the competition is too. We’ll be there in less than an hour.”
“On it.”
“See you soon.” Lori tapped off the call and glanced back at Nick. “At least you can let me answer the phones. I want to earn some money of my own.”
“When we actually have a phone and money coming in, we’ll think about it.”
“I bet Charlie will say yes.”
He might, at that. But Nick felt too hopeful to worry about Lori and Charlie right now. He turned to Brian. “It’s not a steady job like police work. I might not make a living.”
“Our rent is cheap.” Brian looked at him, trust shining out of his eyes. “I have a job, and when people start seeing how good you are, I bet you’ll get lots of customers. This way, I can Find good people and still work with the sheep and the goats and Yasmin and the dogs.”
“That’s the plan.” Nick had to reach up, to cup Brian’s head and twist against the seatbelt to kiss him. Brian’s mouth was firm and warm, his cheek rough with stubble. He kissed like he meant it, like he had nothing better to do in all the world.
“Oh, yeah,” Damon sneered. “I’m driving the Love Car here.”
Nick freed a hand from Brian’s head to raise one middle finger in the general direction of his lover’s obnoxious brother before kissing Brian again. Not that he’d do anything more than a kiss in Damon Kerr’s back seat, but the taste of Brian’s mouth and the trust in his eyes were too good for anything to ruin this moment.
Brian pulled back for breath and laughed. “We’re not dead. We’re not hiding. You’re going to be a detective.”
“Happy ever after,” Damon said. “Except, oh yeah, you’re still a sheep farmer.”
“I like sheep.” Brian kept hold of Nick’s hand, lacing their fingers together.
Nick had never been the hand-holding type. He wasn’t now, either. But as the miles of North Carolina countryside rolled past the window, that thick-fingered, slightly damp hand in his was everything he’d ever wanted.
Epilogue – five months later.
Brian came back to awareness bit by bit, floating, gradually noticing that his eyelids were glued shut, his bladder hurt, and his head throbbed painfully in time to his heartbeat. Must’ve been Finding. He mumbled dryly, and a plastic rim pressed against his mouth.
“Take it slow.” Nick’s voice anchored him. He blinked his eyes open, realizing he was in the passenger side of Nick’s ancient SUV.
Cool wetness slid between his lips. Water was good. Lifesaving. People don’t appreciate water enough. He managed to take hold of the bottle and guzzled it down, which of course led to the next thing. “I have to pee. Like, now!”
“This way.” Nick came around to his door, pulled it open, and helped him get out and stand. They were parked alongside a gas station convenience store. Nick hustled him in, pointed him in the right direction, and stopped in front of the snacks. Brian staggered onward, getting his feet under him, relieved that one of the bathrooms was unoccupied. He made it in and shut the door.
Aaaah. He might not be Bry anymore, but he could still appreciate the simple things in life. When he was done, he cupped water from the sink to rinse his stale mouth and used paper towels to wash his face, squinting into the mirror. His hair was getting long again, back to its regular color, and it stuck damply to his forehead. His eyes were as freaky pale as ever, but his skin had a hint of color from working outside every day. Of course, he still needed the SPF 50 sunscreen every hour, but he